The present invention relates generally to electric shavers and, more particularly, to a drive component for an electric shaver.
Conventional rotary shavers include a handle and a head mounted on the handle, and the head carries at least one set of inner and outer cutters. The outer cutters are typically cup-shaped and are supported by a frame of the shaver head, thereby collectively defining a skin contacting surface of the shaver head. Openings or slits formed in the outer cutters allow hair to protrude through the outer cutters as the shaver head is moved along the skin. Each inner cutter is housed in the shaver head below, and in contact with, a respective one of the outer cutters. The shaver is operated via an electric motor, typically housed within the handle, whereby rotation of the inner cutters by the motor acts to cut hairs protruding through the outer cutters. An arrangement of drive shafts and gears is conventional for operatively connecting the inner cutters to the motor.
The outer cutters of at least some conventional rotary shavers are configured for pivoting movement on the shaver head to facilitate uninterrupted contact of the outer cutters with the skin as the outer cutters are moved along the contours of the skin (e.g., along the skin covering the cheek bones, the jaw line, etc.) Because the inner cutters are disposed within the outer cutters, it is also typical for the inner cutters to be configured for pivoting movement to facilitate maintaining shearing engagement between the inner and outer cutters when the outer cutters pivot.
In that regard, the shaver drive system typically has at least one pivot joint located between the motor and the inner cutters to enable driving of the inner cutters during pivoting. The pivot joint therefore includes at least one rotating component that can pivot relative to another rotating component. However, the engagement of these rotating and pivoting components can be a source of undesirable noise during operation of the shaver. As such, there is a need for a drive system that facilitates quieter operation of a rotary shaver having pivotable cutters.